Weather stripping around doors, windows and other closure members is widely recognized as critical for efficient maintenance of temperature environments within buildings. With increasing emphasis on energy efficiency, sealing methods and material for ensuring weatherproof seals for doors, windows and other closure members are basic components in any strategy for building temperature maintenance.
A common problem with known forms of weather stripping construction is maintenance of good seals after defined periods of time following installation of the weather stripping. Although the weather seal may be adequate when installed, shrinking and warping of the sashes and frames can often cause misalignment of the weather stripping such that the sealing effect is reduced or eliminated. In order to maintain an effective weather seal in such cases, it has been necessary to manually adjust the closure frame, the closure member or to manually adjust the relative position of the weather stripping on the closure member or on the closure frame. These manipulations can be time-consuming or inconvenient, with the frequent result that such adjustments are never made. The result is a less than efficient seal with concomitant inefficient use of energy resources.
Although previous weather stripping systems have allowed for some adjustment in response to changes in the relative orientation of closure members and closure member frames, these systems have relied primarily on resistance-inducing folds or bends in metal, polymer or other suitable material elements of the weather stripping system. Such folds or bends are subject to material fatigue and loss of structural memory resulting in reduced efficiency or failure of the weather stripping function. Moreover, the range of adjustment provided by such devices is generally limited. A weatherproof seal that could self adjust to changes in the relative orientation of a closure member to its closure member frame, that would minimize failure of the seal due to material fatigue, and that would provide for adjustment over a wide range of movement, would provide decided advantages over known weather stripping systems.